Support Your Local Rope Tow

Within the last few years there’s been a resurgence of park skiing in Western New York. Just outside of Rochester, you’ll find Northampton Park (NHP), a small but mighty setup featuring a lodge, rentals, a rope tow, 100 feet of vertical, and a surprisingly deep lineup of terrain park features.

grooming the plaza

The first time I came here nearly 10 years ago, there were maybe one or two features, enough to session for a bit, but nothing like what stands today. Now, the park stretches top to bottom, stacked with rails, jibs, and creative builds that let you take a completely different line every single lap. Watching the progression of their park builds over the last few seasons has been impressive.

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Buffalo Ski Center: Indy Pass Opens a Door

Coming off a great MLK weekend of skiing, the Great Lakes were firing snow into their usual inland targets. I spent the early part of the week watching the forecast, trying to time where and when to get out. In Western New York, the band was setting up most consistently over Buffalo Ski Center and Kissing Bridge, with snowfall rates that were hard to ignore.

I’ve been interested in Buffalo Ski Center’s history and the area as a whole for a few years, but I had never ridden there. The challenge was always access, being semi-private made it tricky to plan around. That changed this season when BSC joined the Indy Pass, instantly moving it from “someday” to “must visit.”

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Holiday Valley: Miles to Powder

In Western New York, I earn my miles. Between work during the week and recreation on the weekends, a lot of life happens on rural roads. My car has been incredibly reliable, carrying me to countless trailheads and ski areas over the years. On the way to Holiday Valley, I hit a milestone as the odometer rolled over to 333,333 miles. Triple threes, on a ski day, headed into the hills? That felt like a good omen.

Morningstar

For the second year in a row, Holiday Valley was the first resort to open in WNY, thanks again to heavy lake-effect snow. Last year, a storm dropped roughly 40 inches before opening day. This season, they’d already been open for a week with snowfall totals topping 50 inches.

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